It struck me when I was editing our post on Viking runes. Wouldn’t it be cool to type something in English and have it translated into runes?
It took a while, but we finally built that tool! Use this page to turn English names and phrases into one of three runic alphabets.
Using the text to rune translator
- Type in the text you want to translate. It could be your name, a phrase, or anything else.
- Choose your rune type: Elder Futhark, Younger Futhark, or Anglo-Saxon Futhorc (there’s more on what each one means below!)
- Click the button and watch the magic happen. Your text will appear in runes before your eyes, ready for you to copy-paste elsewhere. Not all modern letters can be converted into runes, so you may notice that some runes represent multiple English characters.
Which type of rune should I choose?
Elder Futhark
The most ancient runic alphabet, Elder Futhark was used from the 2nd to the 8th centuries. It’s the classic rune set often associated with Viking Age inscriptions – perfect for showing off your Viking name in runes! (Note: in this tool, we use the long-branch runes, rather than the short-twig runes).
Younger Futhark
Evolving from the Elder Futhark runes in the 8th century, Younger Futhark has fewer runes, but was still widely used during the latter part of the Viking Age.
Anglo-Saxon Futhorc
An extended version of the Elder Futhark with additional runes, Anglo-Saxon Futhorc was used in England and Frisia.
Limitations of this tool
Our rune translator is nifty, but keep in mind:
- Not all English letters have direct rune equivalents. Our tool does its best to approximate.
- Runes evolved over time. Our translations are based on historical mappings but may not reflect every nuance.
- The tool is for fun. For scholarly work, you might need more detailed research.
Examples of English words and phrases in runes
Curious to see some examples? Here’s how common English phrases or names look in runes!
| English | Elder Futhark | Younger Futhark | Anglo-Saxon Futhorc |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hello | ᚺᛖᛚᛚᛟ | ᚼᛖᛚᛚᚢ | ᚻᛖᛚᛚᚩ |
| How are you? | ᚺᛟᚹ ᚨᚱᛖ ᛃᛟᚢ? | ᚼᚢᚢ ᚬᚱᛖ ᚢᚢᚢ? | ᚻᚩᚹ ᚪᚱᛖ ᛇᚩᚢ? |
| Kiss me, Viking | ᚲᛇᛋᛋ ᛗᛖ, ᚢᛇᚲᛇᛜ | ᚴᛁᛋᛋ ᛘᛖ, ᚢᛁᚴᛁᛜ | ᚳᛁᛋᛋ ᛗᛖ, ᚢᛁᚳᛁᛝ |
| Cheers | ᚲᚺᛖᛖᚱᛋ | ᚴᚼᛖᛖᚱᛋ | ᚳᚻᛖᛖᚱᛋ |
| Runes are cool | ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ ᚨᚱᛖ ᚲᛟᛟᛚ | ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ ᚬᚱᛖ ᚴᚢᚢᛚ | ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋ ᚪᚱᛖ ᚳᚩᚩᛚ |
| Good morning | ᚷᛟᛟᛞ ᛗᛟᚱᚨᚴᛟ | ᚴᛟᛟᚦ ᛘᚢᚱᚾᛁᛝ | ᚷᚩᚩᛞ ᛗᚩᚱᚾᛁᚴᛟ |
| Thank you | ᚦᚨᚾᚲ ᚢᚾᛟ | ᚦᛟᚾᚴ ᚢᚾᚢ | ᚦᚻᚨᚾᚲ ᚢᚾᛟ |
| Skål! | ᛋᚲᚨᛚ! | ᛋᚴᛅᛚ! | ᛋᚳᚩᚪᚻ! |
| Viking spirit | ᚢᛁᚲᛁᚾᚷ ᛋᛈᛁᚱᛏ | ᚢᛁᚴᛁᚾᚴ ᛋᚢᚢᛁᚱᛏ | ᚢᛁᚳᛁᚾᚷ ᛋᛈᛁᚱᛏ |
| Runestone | ᚱᚢᚾᛖᛋᛏᚢᚾ | ᚱᚢᚾᛁᛋᛏᚢᚾ | ᚱᚢᚾᛇᛋᛏᚢᚾ |
| I am a Viking | ᛁ ᚨᛘ ᚨ ᚢᛁᚲᛁᚾᚷ | ᛁ ᛅᛘ ᚬ ᚢᛁᚴᛁᚾᚴ | ᛁ ᚪᛗ ᚪ ᚪᚢᚳᛁᚾᚷ |
| Warrior | ᚹᚨᚱᚨᚱ | ᚢᚱᚢᚨᚱ | ᚹᚪᚱᚪᚱ |
| Thor’s hammer | ᚦᚩᚱᛋ ᚺᚨᛗᛖᚱ | ᚦᚢᚱᛋ ᚼᛅᛘᛁᚱ | ᚦᚩᚱᛋ ᚻᚪᛗᛖᚱ |
| Valhalla | ᚢᛅᛚᚺᚨᛚᛚᚨ | ᚢᛆᛚᚼᚨᛚᛚᚨ | ᚢᚪᛚᚻᚪᛚᛚᚪ |
| Cheers, mate! | ᛋᚼᚬᚱᛋ, ᛘᚨᛏᛖ! | ᛋᚴᚢᚬᛏ, ᛘᚨᛏᛁ! | ᛋᚳᚨᚬᚱᛋ, ᛘᚪᛏᛖ! |
| Laugh out loud | ᛚᚨᚢᚠ ᚩᚢᛏ ᛚᚬᚢᛞ | ᛚᚬᚢᚠ ᚢᚬᚬᛏ ᛚᚢᚢᛏ | ᛚᚬᚢᚠ ᚩᚢᛏ ᛚᚨᚢᛏ |
| Party time! | ᛈᚨᚱᛏᚤ ᛏᛁᛘᛖ! | ᛈᚬᚱᛏᚤ ᛏᛁᛘᛁ! | ᛈᚨᚱᛏᚤ ᛏᛁᛘᛖ! |
| Rock ‘n’ roll | ᚱᚩᚲ ᚾ ᚱᚩᛚ | ᚱᚩᚴ ᚾ ᚱᚩᛚ | ᚱᚩᚳ ᚾ ᚱᚩᛚ |
| Don’t worry, be happy | ᛞᚩᚾᛏ ᚹᚩᚱᚱᛁ, ᛒᛖ ᚻᚨᛈᚲ | ᛞᚬᚾᛏ ᚹᚩᚱᚱᛁ, ᛒᛖ ᚻᚨᛘᛁ | ᛞᚩᚾᛏ ᚹᚩᚱᚱᛁ, ᛒᛖ ᚻᚬᛈᚳ |
| Love conquers all | ᛚᚩᚢᚹᛖ ᚳᚩᚾᚴᚢᚱᛋ ᚨᛚᛚ | ᛚᚮᚢᚠᛖ ᚳᚮᚾᚴᚢᚱᛋ ᚨᛚᛚ | ᛚᚩᚢᚠᛖ ᚳᚩᚾᚳᚢᚱᛋ ᚨᚷᚷ |
| Keep it simple | ᚲᛖᛖᛈ ᛁᛏ ᛋᛁᛘᛈᛚᛖ | ᚲᛖᛖᛒ ᛁᛏ ᛋᛁᛘᛕᛚᛖ | ᚲᛖᛖᛒ ᛁᛏ ᛋᛁᛘᛈᛚᛖ |
| Let’s have fun | ᛚᛁᛏ’ᛋ ᚻᚨᚢᛁᛋ ᚠᚢᚾ | ᛚᛁᛏ’ᛋ ᚻᚬᚢᛁᛋ ᚠᚢᚾ | ᛚᛁᛏ’ᛋ ᚻᚪᚢᛁᛋ ᚠᚢᚾ |
| Join the party | ᛃᚮᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᛈᚨᚱᛏᚤ | ᛃᚢᚦ ᚦᛁ ᛈᚨᚱᛏᚢ | ᛃᚢᛁᚾ ᚦᛖ ᛈᚨᚱᛏᚤ |
| Happy birthday | ᚻᚨᛈᛈᛁ ᛒᛁᚱᚦᛡᚱᛞᛡ | ᚻᚨᛘᛘᛁ ᛒᛁᚱᚦᛘᚱᛞᛘ | ᚻᚨᛘᛘᛁ ᛒᛁᚱᚦᛘᚱᛞᛘ |
